Another Perspective: PokeMon Masters
by TheRareHunterHunter
Summary: A mysteriously gifted young PokeMon trainer named Luiz becomes the target of scientific investigation regarding the relationship between man and PokeMon.  But can delving into the secrets of that bond threaten to rip it apart?  Let the adventure begin!
1. Assault

In a world which matured upon the interactions of man and PokeMon, wars were fought, discoveries made, and friendships fostered. Given their nearing human intelligence and empathy, PokeMon has separated themselves from other species and have gained acute presence in the many human lives with which they share the earth. There are theories revolving around this curious relationship. Some have declared that PokeMon serve as a sort of ambassador between man and nature and were in Earth's design in order to quell man's wrath against the world and her resources. Others take a Darwinian perspective, suggesting that PokeMon gravitated towards and evolved in the direction of man as they made such effective survival partners for one another. Almost all minds concede to the fact that PokeMon were inspired by the light of man. PokeMon is like man. Few are willing to humble themselves and question whether, in fact, if man is like PokeMon. Unable to utilize lofty theories that simply sounded good and already appealed to the masses, they were forced to specific case studies.

Despite living in a fairly tidy home, Luiz Sallowing's room was perpetually in messy disarray. He was always kicking books and toys and whatnot out of the way to make room for him and his PokeMon to play together. He tore his gaze from the clearing amongst a sea of his possessions as he made for the front door.

He was eleven this year, meaning that he had spent one entire year with his partner, Lucario. It was custom in this specific town that blooming trainers receive their first PokeMon at ten, and within the next five years they would depart for their own personal journeys. During the potential five years in-between, trainers would attend what can most simply be described as school. Students went through the basic subjects; no PokeBalls out during class! During recess a throng of students would filter out into the playground, and each one would throw a PokeBall into the air with their first step upon the cement and run out into the yard and wait for their PokeMon to find them.

No battling was allowed between students, on or off campus, and parents were expected to reinforce the latter. So students and teachers alike thought it was awfully suspicious that Luiz's PokeMon had already evolved into his adult form, despite still having his puppy ears. Luiz was thought of as a bully because his Lucario would often try to defend his trainer's honor with an intent Mach Punch attack, which also marked him as a troublemaker as he was obliged to spend too many of his recess periods inside the classroom. Teachers would sit down with him and ask him questions such as if his parents raised the Lucario for him. They never got the response they expected so they would go on to say what a terrible thing lying is. Fortunately, today Luiz had managed to avert trouble.

There were certainly social pressures and bullies that spawned from his owning a Lucario, but Luiz also had his fair share of admirers. His PokeMon was young but in an overall good form, and Luiz had never known a person to condone the coolness of any Lucario. The compliments he received, however, tended to be passive. Only one trainer took to being his friend.

"Hi, Alecto," he said. Her appearance set quite the contrast between them. While he had dark hair, she had sunbeam-yellow hair that often sat in a ponytail, supported by a pink ribbon. Her eyes were large, and shadowed any other features of her face, but if Luiz had ever seen eyes that could smile or frown, he had found them in Alecto.

"I really wish they'd stop putting you in detention. I don't understand why they do it," she said.

"Well, neither do I. But if I told them that, I'm afraid that they'd find a way to keep me after school, too." Alecto giggled.

"You can't help it if your Lucario's the strongest thing on this playground and can take out everyone else's PokeMon. I'd love to see him against the teachers', too! I bet he could win!"

"Actually, I bet your Diglett could take him out. I think they call that type advantage. Your Diglett knows Dig, doesn't she?"

"Yes, but she's not evolved yet."

"Lucario is only level 12, last I checked. And someday soon your Diglett will pair up with two others and become a Dugtrio!"

Alecto smiled, "Actually, there's some scientific talk over whether Diglett grows two more heads or if it really does find two others. I hope it's not that one, because mine's kind've shy. And I really do want her to evolve someday…"

Alecto always had a way of changing the subject when battling was brought up. She didn't seem to enjoy the subject much. Luiz was worried about Diglett's ability to grow up at all; it was difficult for Alecto to send it out in the yard given that it left huge trails which caused trouble with the teachers.

"Speaking of being friends," she went on, "Your Lucario proves that you're a very strong person"

"Why's that?" Luiz asked.

"There are PokeMon that grow up over conditions other than battling. You know that. There are a few PokeMon that are extremely… what's the word… empathetic? Riolu and Ralts are the best examples, and you've already evolved your Riolu. Not only that, but I've heard stories… Trainers that have captured legendary PokeMon had to have that empathetic influence on those PokeMon? Isn't it neat? You could become a great legendary PokeMon trainer I bet!"

Luiz's cheeks reddened at this grand statement. "Nah," he replied simply.

"Oh, look!" Alecto started again suddenly, "It's Scraggy!"

Beyond the yard's fence sat a Pichu with wary eyes. Luiz had met him during his first year at this school. Scraggy wasn't as thin as most junkyard PokeMon, as he had many sympathizers at this school who fed him scraps from their personal lunches. Since last year, Scraggy had begun losing some of the black fur on his tail and a pair of brown stripes had begun to surface on his back. He had found a particular friend in Luiz's peer who was training a Minun, but Scraggy and Luiz had never really interacted. Finally, having endured Luiz's long-term gaze, Scraggy's ears perked up in curiosity. Slowly Scraggy made his way to the fence where Luiz and Alecto were standing.

"See, I told you, Luiz! I think PokeMon really like you!" Alecto declared.

"Yes, but this is a first," said Luiz.

Lucario must have seen it as soon as Luiz, because his floppy ears stood up and he let out a subtle cry. Nearby a teacher tensed up, waiting to pounce Luiz for whatever misconduct it would perform. There was a tiny mound perfectly following Scraggy's trail.

"Do you see that? What is it?" said Luiz.

"Oh, maybe it's another Diglett!" Alecto's Diglett made eye contact with her trainer and ducked its head underground, "No! It'll still be able to find you, and I don't want you getting into trouble! Return!" and Diglett disappeared into her PokeBall.

Scraggy looked solemn once he reached the fence, and with the mound behind him now near enough to discern, Luiz could make out no special features that defined it as more than a plain rock. Scraggy jumped onto the fence straight in front of Luiz, and squeaked, "Pi!"

On his tail, which helped to stabilize him on the fence, was a strange clip.

"His tail-," Luiz began.

"Yeah, he's gotten older since last year," said Alecto.

"No, I mean that clip thing."

Suddenly Scraggy jumped onto Luiz's face and clambered to stay on. Through Alecto's protests, he loosed a Thunder Wave and Luiz found that he was no longer able to control his spine, nor any of his joints. He flopped uncontrollably onto the grass and he heard a furious cry come from Lucario. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, whether it was from his paralysis or his panic Luiz did not know. There were several screams. Then there was the most warped sound Luiz had ever heard in his life. But somehow, it was still sentient.


	2. Capture

Purple mist slowly churned throughout all the landscape, much like clouds do in the usual world that Luiz was used to. He had no concept of his body nor its placement, perhaps it now was separate from him, being lulled into a sleepy pace like the rest of this world. All Luiz's thoughts and whatever else held him together as a human being were out there too. But he did not care because his concerns were floating along with them.

Then he saw Alecto, framed within the lethargic purple haze. Her eyes were piercing Luiz as usual with some emotion. But her intentions were lost; Luiz raised an indifferent hand, and it began reaching for her. There was no difference between lethal force and an innocent hand. He was to strangle her and that's all there was.

A defiant bark ripped through the dimensions. Lucario tensed and his arms thrust out, to which the air bowed and a wave of matter rippled all around him. A force wrenched from the side of Luiz's head as if he had just escaped a plunger. He spun and fell onto his back, and his breath returned to him only to be suppressed by the mysterious gravity that had put a spell over him before. Again he heard the same warped sound, but in a backwards motion. There was a face, not a head, which took up a good a descent amount of the playground while writhing and attempting to reinstate its composure.

"Spiritomb!" screamed one of the teachers.

It straightened its disc-like head and resumed a scowl. Suddenly Luiz was aware of the significantly dark atmosphere that played alongside its gravity. 'It must've gotten into the playground while I was out, or possessed…,' thought Luiz.

Once it was sure that its demeanor had caused enough stir, it turned its face casually and spotted a maintenance worker a few good paces outside the fence. It tucked its head close to its stone and braced, then with massive force sprung into the back of the employee's head, knocking him out in the process.

"Did it just Sucker Punch its way outta here?" grimaced one of the younger teachers.

Having retreated entirely into its stone, the Spiritomb skidded along the asphalt. Seeing such a small thing loyally following what was typically a car's route was almost comical, and Luiz was already feeling joyous laughter rising within his chest after Spiritomb's Pressure had faded, much like a person who's just taken off training weights feels as though they could burst into flight. But as his eyes met a guilty-looking Scraggy, a sense of purpose arrived. For whatever reason, Scraggy had been trained and put up to helping this Spiritomb.

"Luiz-" Alecto began.

Luiz bolted over the fence, with Lucario on his heels. In the backs of his eyes he saw stationary cars, buildings, and overall a good amount of the town passing by him, blurred to his senses. Finally he had spotted the Spiritomb's stone, perched upon an old, dried well, glowing beckoningly.

Finally reaching his destination, Luiz saw that the stone was not sitting on the well's ledge, but rather had nested itself upon a network of webbing unlike any that Luiz had ever seen. Underneath his contemplative gaze, the stone seemed to sink, until, to Luiz's surprise, it actually fell through and disappeared into the shadows beneath.

Lucario was firmly at Luiz's side, but Luiz could feel that he was ready to be between him and any aggressive PokeMon in a second. Luiz comparatively remained a little calmer and watched the remainder of the webbing harden and eventually collapse into the depths. It was all too terrifically consoling yet alarming at the same time.

"GO!" boomed a thunderous voice, shattering Luiz's concentration along with the rest of the fragile webbing.

As if regurgitated from a drain, Spiritomb swirled into existence, its face more gargantuan than ever. It loosed a bellow of a cry and unfortunately, it followed up with a perfectly confident scowl.

"Do you know what that thing that Spiritomb resides in is? It's a memorial. Basically, a gravestone. It was donated to us in earnest, to pray for the souls of those whom departed in an… unfortunate accident. But you see what it's become now, and what it's capable of? Tell me, boy, did you even perhaps learn _what _it wanted to do?" a man equipped in a heavy white industial suit slinked into view from behind the Spiritomb. The features of his face were made indiscernible due to a tinted visor.

"No one we know of yet can understand," he went on uninvited. "Spiritomb is a mish-mash mixture of souls, and can only be defined as a monstrosity. One hundred and eight were lost in that incident, and they lived in hatred within their final days. Spiritomb can neither be good nor sane. It was a complete failure. But we don't intend to repeat that mistake again."

For the first time Luiz was hearing a different sound coming from Spiritomb. It wasn't all too different from the sound it was making earlier, he realized, but instead it was a different pitch, a different emotion. It was emitting a low, melancholy growl, and Luiz could almost pick out words that it was saying.

"What is it?" said the man viciously. "Actually, let's get to you later. First, I want you to know why I'm here, and why I've come to collect you."

Like Luiz had seen him do so many times before, Lucario lunged at the man, to which the stranger firmly called out "Shadow Ball!" Spiritomb shook its head once as if trying to release itself from some bothersome emotion, and then sent a sphere of otherworldly substance resembling the earlier webbing squarely into Lucario's chest, which flung Lucario into the grass with a rolling tumble. He twitched pitifully upon the ground as though due to some nightmarish oppression, and Luiz could feel his insides taut and nervous. He was used to seeing this strength of an attack occurring in battles involving PokeMon of around level 30, and Lucario was looking hurt, if not traumatized.

"We can only conclude, from our success in training the beast, that it follows instruction fairly well in its attempt to salvage stability from a world which it only perceives madness and, in turn, others see nothing but madness within it," the stranger declared with a smirk.

Luiz breathed in deeply. He figured that the opposing team wouldn't make a lethal attack unprovoked. After all, they were here to "collect" him. So Lucario was effectively safe.

"Now-" began the stranger.

Luiz fumbled in his pocket.

"What are you doing?" the stranger asked tartly.

Luiz gathered something into his hand, and held it up for the stranger to see.

"Boy… Boy! You have no idea what you're holding!"

"My father told me to use this if a strong PokeMon ever really threatened me."

"No! Don't! That could also be valuable- … be sold to-"

Luiz reared his hand back and then threw the ball at the Spiritomb. The Spiritomb's disc-like projection was immediately absorbed, but something beyond the shadows was putting up a descent fight. Sparks ferociously danced back and forth between the ball and its target, which began initiating a cave-in effect with the bricks of the well. Finally, the stone-shaped memorial leapt into the ball, which snapped shut eagerly. The "M" imprint upon the purple PokeBall could be well-spotted in the sunlight now as the ball sat content and still.

"No… You!" screamed the stranger.

"Luiz!" A familiar voice was coming from behind Luiz.

"Alecto!" said Luiz relieved, turning his body to meet this pleasant appearance. Luiz reluctantly looked back for a moment and saw that the stranger had already gone. Luiz saw his father and a teacher sprinting to catch up.

"Dad!" Luiz exclaimed. "I used it, I used the Master Ball!"

"The WHAT?" shouted the teacher, and Luiz's father looked at him to express that now was not the time for this particular discussion.

"I'm sorry, everyone. You too, Lucario, I got you pretty badly hurt," said Luiz.

The teacher looked at him sternly, "Indeed, that was very foolish of you! Just what were you hoping to accomplish by chasing down a PokeMon that was obviously much stronger than your own?"

"I… was worried about Scraggy. I wanted to know why he attacked me and helped the Spiritomb. It seemed like he didn't want to…"

"Placing a junkyard PokeMon's better interest over your own, very foolish indeed." Alecto stuck her tongue out at the teacher after stepping into an angle where she could remain unseen.

Luiz's dad attempted to lighten the mood, "Yes, maybe he didn't make the best decision. But if it's alright with you, Miss, I'd like to relate the lesson to my boy myself."

With a stuck-up grunt, the teacher grabbed Alecto's wrist and began steering the perfectly capable girl back to the school.

Luiz's father knelt down in order to make reasonable eye contact with his son, and looked ready to say something, but Luiz himself said "Dad…"

"Yes, son?"

"I want to start my PokeMon adventure. Seeing Lucario get hurt was too much. We both need to become stronger. Please," he said.

It was a fairly extreme request. Most local aspiring trainers waited at least three more years before departure, and it'd be a task to work it out with the school system and cancel his records for this year. Not to mention that it was a lot to ask from a father. He had only known his son for eleven years.

"Yes," said his father. "Go to the next town. Sandbridge. Bring back the badge, and I'll finally see your way off as you go on to become a great PokeMon master."

"Dad… thank you."

The next morning, being an informal send-off, only consisted of Luiz's father, mother, and Alecto. Lucario was out of his PokeBall so they could say their temporary good-byes to him as well.

"Wow!" exclaimed Alecto. "Most trainers our age only train one PokeMon because most can't handle two. I know it'll go well for you though, Luiz, because you're the best with PokeMon!"

"Yeah, thanks Alecto," Luiz responded uncertainly. It hadn't fully registered with him yet that he'd be training two PokeMon, much less one as strange as that Spiritomb.

"Oh, and guess what?"

"What?"  
"Your Lucario's ears are sticking straight up!" she said.

It was true. Luiz's Lucario now looked as complete as any fully-evolved Lucario he had ever seen.


	3. Murder

Lucario had been returned into his PokeBall, and Luiz was enjoying his solitary stroll through the forest which stood erect not too far out of town limits. He looked admiringly at the pretty flowers that invited him into the trees. It was fortunate for local nature lovers that Grass PokeMon were common throughout the area, because just as animal PokeMon enjoy grooming themselves, Grass PokeMon like to tailor their native plants as if they were their own children, and the natural beautification effect was truly fantastic. Luiz stretched his neck out and pointed his nose to the sky, closing his eyes before a brilliant scene of blue. He could feel the crisp, cold air being sucked in through his nose and generously filling his lungs. Even though Lucario was inside his PokeBall, Luiz could tell that he and Lucario were in tandem, and both were thoroughly appreciating the experience.

Most towns were separated by long stretches of forests, and it was no different between Sandbridge and Luiz's hometown, Lenon. The towns which shared a route were legally obliged to maintain and protect the road's environment, especially to make sure that it didn't fall to the use of human resources. PokeMon habitats are extremely important, and that's why there are Rangers. "That's one thing I could do with my life," thought Luiz, and once again his thoughts returned to Lucario. In his mind's eye he saw them scaling fields at top speed, saving distressed nests of PokeMon from wildfires, and then Luiz remembered Spiritomb and held back a laugh at imagining it awkwardly performing tasks alongside him and Lucario. He took Spiritomb's Master Ball out of his pocket and into his hands, and said to it, "But I guess you're pretty fast with Sucker Punch, huh?" From somewhere in his mind he heard a low screech. He had been anticipating the response.

Now Luiz had Ghost-type PokeMon on the brain and suddenly remembered how forbidding the forest could be after dark. Spiritomb could fight opposing Ghosts especially well, Luiz recalled from his lessons, but that's if Luiz could control it. Having pondered himself into a worry, Luiz sped up a little down the forest's path.

Luiz stopped a few times to eat, but only for minutes at a time as he was trying to get to town before twilight. He had no idea how plausible this was. He hadn't left with a town map because all that a trainer had to do to get to Sandbridge from Lenon was to follow the straightforward road. He remembered his father handing him some money in case he was able to reach Sandbridge's PokeMon Center to sleep, but also recalled his grimace as his father pushed a sleeping bag into his arms in case he wasn't so fortunate.

He had seen a few PokeMon watching him from the tall grass, but never chose to pursue them. He only had a single PokeBall with him anyway. His father didn't want him catching too many partners so early.

Against Luiz's wishes, nightfall came all too soon. He managed to find a small crook connected to the forest route and unfurled his sleeping bag there. For a moment he just sat there, fingering Lucario's PokeBall. Finally, he threw it and Lucario came out in a burst of light. Immediately Lucario crawled over to Luiz and began growling affectionately. "I know, I know," said Luiz, his hand already in his bag and pulling out some PokeMon food.

As Lucario was devouring his food, Luiz now was holding Spiritomb's Master Ball and looking at it intently, torn between the trainer instinct to throw it and the fear of what was inside. He still didn't appreciate what it made him do to Alecto. Everyone had saw it, hadn't they? Was he really being forced to strangle his best friend?

Luiz noticed that Lucario was now focused on the Master Ball as well. Turning to him, Lucario just let out a responsive shudder and continued eating, but much less hungrily.

…Nor did Luiz appreciate what Spiritomb had done to Lucario.

"Is it all right if I send it out?" Luiz finally asked Lucario. "I can't just hold on to the Master Ball forever, can I? And I can't just trash it, either. I'm worried what it would do." Lucario gave him a blank stare, as if to say, "And what it did to us wasn't bad enough?" "I know, but still… When I heard its cry, it was one of the saddest things I'd heard in my life. Ghost PokeMon are essentially dead, right?" Lucario shrugged. It still impressed Luiz that he had picked up human gestures so well. "Well, that man said many people died in some experiment which led up to Spiritomb's existence. It sounds pretty bad to me. And we saved it from them. I think it's our responsibility now."

Knowing that he couldn't stop Luiz, Lucario just nodded. Luiz threw the Master Ball.

In the next moment, Spiritomb was leering down at the two of them. It shifted its gaze between the two, and Lucario gave an affronted bark. It ignored this and finally rested its sight on Luiz, and slowly it began moving its mouth. At first there was no sound. Gradually its mouth picked up speed. As it came up to an increasingly conversational pace Luiz could begin to pick out slivers of human sound. "i… an… ceh… wuh…" Luiz was about to say something about not understanding it, but it had already caught on. Its expression hardened and its mouth began moving even faster, "Iuh… suy-lah-teh… mah!" it finished definitively. Luiz shook his head confusedly, and Spiritomb now looked furious, "IUHCEHSOOYUH...GEH!!!" "I don't understand!" Luiz said, a little louder than he had meant to. Utterly distraught, Spiritomb opened its jagged mouth wide and its face soared into the heavens. In the next moment, Lucario and Luiz were both on the ground with their hands covering their ears as it screamed a horrific screech. Not even aware that he had lost consciousness in the first place, Luiz awoke inside a dream. There was purple mist all around.

But this time around, Luiz was himself. He saw Spiritomb in the middle of the haze, its mouth perfectly still. "Spiritomb-" Luiz began.

"Can you understand me now?" it asked shortly.

"Um, yes," answered Luiz.

Spiritomb heavily gazed off to one side. It looked more human than Luiz had ever seen it, "I'm sorry. This is all new… and difficult for me. Even the apology you just received. I needed to talk to you. The drive made me insane. When I try to speak with meaning, my voice would be led to curse you as soon as converse with you, so I had to bring you here."

"Where are we, then?" asked Luiz, a little sternly. He still didn't like this place because of what it had made him do last time.

"I'm in me. You're in me. I understand my thoughts thus you must understand my thoughts."

Luiz didn't know what to say.

"But I've been blind all of my life. I'd never been asked to extend myself to a human, only to obey."

Luiz heard its voice becoming more and more human. It was taking on a distinctive trait he hadn't noticed before…

"Then they asked me to attack you. I Hypnotized you and controlled you, and the moment I breached a human mind I learned many things."

… Spiritomb was female. At least her voice made it seem so.

"You're female?" Luiz asked, not really expecting himself to. Though not utterly brainwashed, there was a change. He felt himself freer in this environment, as if his brain was prepared to fire words at the slightest notion.

Spiritomb looked thoughtful for a moment and then replied, "I want to get closer to you. You value that girl Alecto a lot, don't you? I need for you to like me like you like her."

"What do you mean, exactly?" Luiz said, feeling his cheeks flush a little.

"I know for a fact that you can sympathize with me. I told you, I've never met a human who wanted me, only the use of my powers. The first time I met you, I could detect, within your mind, that you would accept me and love me if the situation arose that you were obliged to keep me. I wanted it then, and I'm trying to bring it out now."

"What are you asking me to do?" asked Luiz, not entirely sure what to do about all of this, "You're my PokeMon, and I care about you. What else is there?"

"No, you've got it exactly. I'm satisfied now. Now, name me."

"What?"

"Trainers can name their PokeMon, and PokeMon will respond to that name"

"Yes, I know," said Luiz. Being inside his mind once before, she couldn't really think that he was that stupid.

"So-"

"Jill," said Luiz simply, "How about Jill?"

She looked at him for a moment, and then gave him the most sincere smile he imagined possible from that twisted face. It was amazingly amiable. Then Luiz heard that screech that he had come to associate with Jill and he awoke again, next to Lucario.

Lucario whimpered a little and nudged Luiz with his nose.

"It's all right," Luiz assured him.

Nevertheless, Lucario turned to Jill and barked as if to scold her. Her face merely hung suspended over her memorial, jeering at Lucario. Luiz foresaw fierce competition over his affections in the near future. "Okay, okay, everyone just settle down and get to bed." Jill frowned. "You don't sleep, do you Jill? Can you keep watch, then?" She nodded as Lucario and Luiz settled into the sleeping bag. Before finally getting to sleep, Luiz saw Jill peering jealously over at them.

"NOT TOO BRAVE, ARE YOU?!"

Luiz awoke with a start. It was morning, and Jill was already looking in as many directions as possible, searching for the source of the noise. Lucario leaped out of the sleeping bag and ran to join her, intent on defeating the unknown threat before Jill had a chance to do anything. Still groggy, Luiz began rubbing his eyes while letting his PokeMon look.

In the next moment, he felt a cluster of knobs, similar to tennis balls, gather underneath either arm and lift him up automatically into the air. He shouted, and Jill and Lucario were already turning around to look. Lucario's eyes blazed. He threw out his arms like he had against Jill the first time he'd met her, and the air around him rippled darkly. He thrust his arms out straight in front of him, and the air twisted into a rope which raced to Luiz's back. Immediately, Luiz felt himself falling. Spiritomb conventionally extended herself under him and caught Luiz in her maw.

Finally Luiz saw it. A purple PokeMon with its tail swishing in some random sport. The image of a man with unfruitful white hair was horribly etched into it. Its ears protruded like stubby rods at the top of its head. It surveyed the trainer and his two PokeMon imperiously, but somehow his gaze fell short of impressive, as if his presence was intended to be more omnipotent than it actually was.

Jill screeched horribly at the stranger.

It laughed. "I remember you too." Its voice sounded as though a human's voice had been spliced with that of incomprehensible technology. It echoed thoroughly.

"What do you want?!" Luiz shouted.

"My friend Luxor told me about you. You met two days ago. He mentioned that you had a Master Ball. Used, of course… but we can wrench a PokeMon from the depths of any PokeBall, if we so wish. Wasted on a Spiritomb, I heard. I remember it, just as much a failure as any of our other experiments. As you can see here…"

He spread his arms wide in order to exemplify himself. Not receiving any reaction from Luiz, he contemplated the boy for a moment. An expression of enlightenment stole over his terrible face, and he went on, "With that Master Ball, we can end the suffering of PokeMon."

"JUST SO YOU CAN THINK YOU CAN JUSTIFY AND FACILITATE THE CREATION OF SYNTHETIC POKEMON?!" Luiz looked at Jill, shocked. She was speaking in the same human voice he had heard while, as she had put it, inside of her.

"Oh, so you've learned to speak. Even went on to develop gender. Interesting. You know, it's said that the Master Ball provides the ultimate formof control over PokeMon. Was this in the young man's ideas for you-"

Jill snarled and threw her entire being into the PokeMon's body. It lay crumpled on the ground until Jill receded and then it straightened itself effortlessly.

"No need to be violent. I believe you and this Mewtwo were experiencing similar terms before you departed for your mission and he, well…" he stretched his long body.

"You won't be having it. I love my Spiritomb Jill, and I wouldn't give her to you for anything," said Luiz finitely, "Even if you want to battle me over it."

The Mewtwo man laughed, "Very well then." He soundlessly landed on Luiz's sleeping bag and thrust a knobbed hand in Lucario's direction. For a single moment that couldn't be measured, everyone stood in anticipatory silence. It was only when Luiz's eye met Lucario's that Luiz saw his eyes fracture like glass as they fell beneath his dark lids. Lucario made a sound that quickly fizzled out of existence as he fell to the ground without so much as a reflex to try and stop his fall.

Luiz tried to scream, do something that conveyed his fury and terror. His partner had been standing there a moment ago, surely he wasn't dead? He couldn't be. The difference between life and death couldn't be so thin and fickle.

The Mewtwo man watched Luiz. He wanted to make sure he had made enough of an impact on the boy. Luiz couldn't understand this reality. He just wanted something to be different and to have time proceed. Lucario looked dead now, maybe this was the exception in time, for time had never hurt this badly.

The Mewtwo man laughed again for no other reason than to prove to Luiz that he was the one who had killed Lucario and that the fact he had done so was so real that he could even show confidence about it. In truth, hot rage was flooding his veins. He felt the urge to shout many demeaning statements at Luiz all at once, but he sighed to bring composure to his mind. Slowly, menacingly, he began…

"You're a fool. All of these inspiring events, they make you feel, they make you love, they make you hate. But they hang on a cord, and once cut, it recedes into nothingness. Argue that others will have your memory, but their cord will be cut swiftly as well."

Through a torrent of tears Luiz screamed nothing at all at the pitiless face. Jill settled protectively over Luiz and looked full into the face of the Mewtwo man for the Luiz who was blinded by desolation.

"You're the true fool, because you can't understand," she said, eerily calm, "Humans were designed with a nature to live, love, adapt, breed, hate, lust… You're living past your time. You're not cradled by the human nature that once comforted you. I'll show you your true nature." Then the most intangible nonsense that could still be considered sound was ringing in the air. Luiz looked at Jill, and the only reason he was sure it was coming from her was because her mouth was moving in loose synch with the lyrics which should have been the product of several insane voices. It meant nothing to Luiz. But the Mewtwo man did something. He began writhing, and lost himself to every self-hostile gesture he could produce within moments. Strangulation, nails like knives erupting from the knobs as his fingers began plunging furiously into his skin, his knees pummeling his chest, and afterwards he lay still and breathless on the ground. "It's your nature to be dead."

Luiz shrunk underneath Jill. A PokeMon now with seemingly perfect judgment, she was forcing punishment into every guilty vein of the wretch who, just moments ago, killed his best friend. This was his, Luiz's, PokeMon. His head was swimming now with more than just grief.

"Your sin means that you can't rest in peace. You've gone beyond the limits of humanity. Therefore, you can't enjoy its gifts. Why persist in this life when it holds nothing for you? It's doomed you to be mad," she said.

"You beast, how would you know?" it spat.

"I've lived on both sides of life."

"Then what gives you the right to live while you sentence me to death? You, all one hundred eight of you died-"

"I told you. I've lived on both sides of life. Life and death. Man and PokeMon."

"You're forgetting what I am-" it was talking faster now. Perhaps it sensed that it had little time left.

"Idiot. I didn't force my redemption. Furthermore, here's how I see you. You've soiled yourself with two sins, suicide and murder, no less the one of an innocent PokeMon who you brought to life only to be haunted by its origin and made miserable! You killed yourself in order to merge, beside yourself with the human instinct for power. Once you surfaced on the other side, your human lust was gone, and you woke up into madness."

Jill screamed in her warped Spiritomb voice as darkness stirred violently all around. Suddenly, as though it had sensed prey, ran for the Mewtwo man and rushed into his mouth. Pores began opening all over its skin, and those pores quickly erupted into gaping holes. No entrails remained of the Mewtwo man, merely a ghost of a frame.

With all of her anger having been released and exercised, Jill shrunk back and hovered over a crying Luiz sympathetically.

"Hey, are you all right?" came a woman's voice from somewhere down the road.

Luiz stirred and grabbed Jill's Master Ball. He wrenched it open with his fingers and tore it at its hinge. Before Jill could react, Luiz threw his single spare PokeBall at Jill and captured her within it. The Ball didn't even shake afterwards. An unfamiliar lady to whom the voice belonged ran up and quickly bent down to Luiz's level, placing her arm on Luiz's shoulder while he sat there, bawling.


End file.
